ISLAMABAD (February 22 2003) : The government has decided to develop database of textile machinery and all the machinery manufacturers and suppliers would be registered with the Federal Textile Board (FTB), sources told Business Recorder on Friday.
The proposal would be discussed in the next meeting of the FTB scheduled to be held on Tuesday next with Federal Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi in the chair.
A registration fee of $ 500 would be charged from the foreign manufacturers/suppliers and Rs 5,000 from local representatives/ indentures as well as local manufacturers of textile machinery-equipment-spares and accessories, the sources said.
The funds, thus, raised would be used to develop a research cell in the FTB to collect latest information of the development in the competing countries, their moves in the international trade and steps being taken to improve their competitiveness.
The information, thus, collected would be used for determining the import liability of textile machinery-spares and auxiliaries equipment annually as well as to prioritise for initiating efforts for developing service centres by each machinery manufacturers, inventory of essential spares, phased programme of local manufacture of spare-equipment and finally textile machinery, the sources added.
It has been suggested that all the machinery manufacturers operating in Pakistan and their representatives/indentures of textile machinery-spares-auxiliaries accessories, etc, must be registered with the FTB.
They must furnish the detailed information about their principal-technical specification of the machinery/ equipment/parts they represent and machinery and goods supplied so far to develop a databank.
Detailed information would be furnished on the service facilities developed or likely to develop to service the equipment supplied to the textile industry, manpower trained for service centre and engineers employed therein.
All the local manufacturers of textile machinery-accessories-spares must also be registered with the FTB. They must furnish the details of the machinery/equipment/spare being produced locally with specifications for making comparative analysis and its acceptability by the local consumers.
The sources said the textile industry was free to import technology of its choice from world resources.
While the government has extended all freedom to outsource its machinery and equipment needs, the industry suffered badly in getting proper service for maintenance of the high cost equipment.
This requires elaborated training of maintenance engineers approach service centre, easy availability spare and accessories and development of training and service centres by the principal machinery suppliers.
The decision regarding development of database of machinery would help in making the products cost effective in the competitive market.
The meeting of the FTB would also review the midterm review of the Textile Vision-2005, shifts toward value addition in textiles, progress on contamination free cotton programme, technological upgradation of ginners power-loom sector, adoption of cost effectiveness approach in textiles, study on export competitiveness of Pakistan's textile sector and irritants faced by the industry.
Liaquat Ali Jatoi has already directed the FTB to remove irritants faced by the textile industry in terms of sales tax, Customs duty and DTRE.
The annual meeting of the FTB would take important decisions for improvement in the textile sector, which was the backbone of country's exports and economy, the sources added.
